God has been so merciful and gracious to us! He has given us much more than we deserve… In fact if He were to give us what we deserve, it’s frightening! He saves us from our sin! He hears and answers our prayers! He delivers us from all kinds of calamities! He works miracles on our behalf! His love, grace and goodness are boundless! We need to praise him! A word came to mind this morning as I thought about the goodness and grace of the Lord and my need to praise Him as I was reading Psalm 66 in the Bible… Here it is – my praise should be “effusive!”Ever see “Old Faithful” perform her dramatics in Yellowstone National Park in the United States? The internal pressure builds, and builds, and builds and then erupts, spewing hot steam and water into the air… That’s “effusive!” The dictionary defines it as “expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner. Synonyms are… gushing, gushy, unrestrained, extravagant, fulsome, demonstrative, lavish, and enthusiastic.” That is what Old Faithful does when the pressure builds… That is what I should do as I reflect upon all that the Lord has done for me!
Here’s how Psalm 66 describes “effusive” praise…
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! How great is your power! … All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name!’ Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man! … Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard, Who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us … we went through fire and through water; yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance! … Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer! Blessed be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!” (From Psalm 66 ESV)
Thinking about the goodness of the Lord today… The pressure is building… “Effusive” praise is developing! “Bless the Lord, O peoples – Let the sound of His praise be heard!”
